THE BRANCH RAILWAY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 30, 6 October 1913, Page 5

THE BRANCH RAILWAY.

ALLOCATION OF.VOTES.

A VINDICATION OF TAUAiNAjvI

The Stratford Unamber of Uoia-

merce lias always maue the conuecuou oi totrauord with the Main Hunk liauway one oi its particular cares, and, following on recent events, the following letter from Air o. u. Richards, president of tlie Stratioru Chamber of Commerce, appeared in, a receut issue of the Auckland '\fctera Wi-

lli your issue of the 27th inst. there apepared a sub-leader and a letter from the chairman of the AucKlanu Railway League. You refer to "one Taranaki residents who have initiated a regrettable rivalry between the two ends of the line" and I now venture to emphatically deny that any sucn rivalry has been initiated in Taranaki. The facts are as follows:—The Auckland Railway League ..at its annual meeting held on August 15 last, passed the following resolution, "That whereas for several years the annual votes, for the Stratford connection with the - Main Trunk Railway •have been-.spent entirely at the Stratforo end , the time has arrived when, the bulk of any-money voted for this line ought to be expended upon that portion of it connecting the Main Trunk with the Ohura Valley, and this meeting urges on the Government that the money be so -allocated." The object of the resolution is quite clear, and it undoubtedly initiated what rivalry there may be. My chamber and numerous other Taranaki institutions passed resolutions which, while recognising the advantage of work being prosecuted at both ends, protested against any relaxation oi progress at the Stratford end. Tims the' desire of my chamber, and I believe I might safely say the residents of Taranakij'is evident, namely, thatvigorous and speedy progress of the Stratford-Te Koura Railway should be maintained in order that settlers of the whole country traversed may enjoy all the conveniences which improved means of communication must bring," and that direct communication between Auckland and Taranaki Provinces may be established to our mutual advantage. We have no wish to retard progress at the Te Koura end in order that the Stratford end may flourish, and neither will we idly countenance relaxation at the Stratford end for the opposite purpose. Small local wants and temporary advantages might well be relegated to the background, and strenuous united action directed towards urging the speedy completion of direct inter-communi-cation between the two provinces.

O-HURA PEOPLE'S VIEWS.

SAID TO FAVOK AUCKLAND

The following article Appeared in a recent issue of the Auckland "Star" : .

With regard to a Press Association message from Whangamomona, which appeared in the "Star" of 24t<i ultimo, Mr W. K. Williams, of Ohura, writes to Mr G. L. Peacocke, chairman of the Auckland Railway League, as follows:—"Enclosed please find a cut-

ting from, 'Auckland Star' of September 24th. I may state that the paragraph I have marked reads'as if-the Ohura County Council had sent a delegate to this conference with the purpose of supporting the resolution carried, " namely :—'That this conference protests against the action of the Auckland Railway League in attempting to have work on the Stratford end of the StratfordTe Koura railway minimised, and this conference strongly urges that no efforts shall he relaxed &£ the Stratford end of this railway.' I have written to the chairman of the County Council calling his attention to this. Nearly the whole of Ohura are unanimous in approval of the action that your League took in asking for the greater portion of the money to be spent on the Te Koura end this year, and I would like to add my thanks for what you have done." The suggestion of the Railways League referred to, says the "Star," was conditional on the vote not being largo enough to carry oh the work efficiently from both end 3.